Deep Commentary

The six preceding verses were taught by the Buddha at the Bamboo Grove monastery, concerning the young son of a woodcutter. According to the story, in Rājagaha there were two boys: one was the child of a Buddhist family, and the other was the child of a non-Buddhist family. They often played ball together. Out of habit, whenever he threw the ball upward, the Buddhist boy would recite, “Homage to the Buddha.” By contrast, the non-Buddhist boy would often recite, “Homage to the arahants.” In their games, the Buddhist boy usually won, while the non-Buddhist boy often lost. Feeling upset, the non-Buddhist boy observed his friend and realized that the other boy often won because he recited, “Homage to the Buddha.” So he thought, “I will do the same.” From then on, he began to form the habit of recollecting the Buddha. One day, after cutting firewood in the forest, the boy and his father stopped at a cemetery outside the city to eat. Toward evening, the ox that pulled their cart followed a herd of cattle into the city. The father ran after the ox to bring it back, but when he returned, it was already dark and the city gate had been closed. That night, the boy had to sleep alone under the cart. While he was sleeping, two spirits suddenly appeared: one evil spirit and one benevolent spirit. The evil spirit wanted to eat the boy, but the good spirit stopped him. The evil spirit refused to listen and seized the boy by both feet, intending to tear him apart. At that moment, by the force of habit, the sleeping boy suddenly uttered, “Homage to the Buddha.” Hearing this, the evil spirit was terrified and drew back. The good spirit said, “Surely we will be punished for this.” Wanting to make amends, the good spirit guarded the boy throughout the night. Meanwhile, the evil spirit secretly entered the royal palace, took food arranged on a golden plate, and brought it out. Then the two spirits cared for the boy like loving parents. Before leaving, they used their supernatural power to write a message on the plate, recounting the whole story and stating that only the king would be able to read it. The next morning, people in the palace discovered that the golden plate was missing. They searched everywhere but could not find it. Finally, they found the plate on the boy’s cart and brought the boy to the palace for questioning. After reading the message, the king was astonished and asked, “What does this mean?” The boy himself did not know what had happened the previous night. When the boy’s father heard the news and came, he also did not understand what had taken place. The king then brought the father and son to see the Buddha. The king asked, “World-Honored One, is recollecting the Buddha a form of protection, or are recollection of the Dharma and other contemplations also protective?” The Buddha replied, “Great king, recollecting the Buddha is not the only meaningful protection. A true Buddhist who deeply practices recollection in the six objects of mindfulness needs no other protection, no charm, no spell, and no medicinal herb.” Because of this event, the Buddha spoke the verses above. Looking closely at verse 296, we see that the Buddha’s teaching contains very important phrases. The Buddha tells us that we must “always be self-aware.” This teaching is the very essence of practice. Awareness is the same as right mindfulness. The subject of mindfulness has appeared in earlier verses as well, and it has already been explained briefly. It may be said that a Buddhist practitioner who lacks mindfulness or awareness is not truly practicing the Buddha’s path. Whether a practitioner has peace and happiness depends entirely on mindfulness and awareness. To lose mindfulness is to suffer, because losing mindfulness means losing oneself. To have mindfulness is to be fully present, in both body and mind, in the present moment. A mindful person clearly knows what is happening. The meaning of “mindfulness” or “awareness” is simply “knowing.” This knowing touches reality clearly without being filtered through the calculating and discriminating activity of conceptual consciousness. When conceptual consciousness intervenes, countless distinctions and ideas are created. From there, all things are swept into the spinning movement of discriminating thought, and in that way we lose ourselves. Therefore, if practitioners want liberation, they must always be self-aware. To have awareness, one must practice “whether by day or by night.” We must constantly look deeply into ourselves. If practice is limited by time, then it is still dependent on fixed schedules. A genuine practitioner does not confine practice only to formal sessions, but strives to cultivate contemplation and awareness at every time and in every place. Only in this way can awakening and liberation be hoped for. Next, the Buddha teaches us to “constantly recollect the Buddha.” Recollection has two meanings: remembering and knowing. Buddha means the Awakened One. Remembering the Buddha also has two levels: deep and shallow. The deep meaning is to continually remember one’s own awakened nature. The shallow meaning is to remember the external Buddha. For example, a Pure Land practitioner constantly remembers Amitābha Buddha through his sacred image. By remembering in this way continually, afflictions have no opportunity to arise. When afflictions do not arise, the mind becomes peaceful, quiet, and joyful. This is the shallow meaning of “recollection.” The deeper meaning of “knowing” is that we are aware of everything happening around us with a clear, pure, and present mind. This too is recollecting the Buddha in the deeper sense. Whoever recollects in this way will be liberated even without deliberately seeking liberation. This liberation occurs right in the present life, not only in some future life, because we have truly returned to and lived again from our own awakened nature. In verse 297, the Buddha teaches the same basic meaning, but with a difference: one should “constantly recollect the Dharma.” Dharma means the teaching, and the meaning of the word Dharma is very broad. Here, however, the Buddha refers especially to the Four Noble Truths and to the true Dharma. In addition to remembering the Buddha, Buddhists must continually apply themselves to learning the true Dharma. The true Dharma is the Buddha’s teaching that leads beings to realize truth, transcend all suffering of birth and death, and enter the freedom of Nirvāṇa. From the standpoint of inner principle, Dharma also means wisdom, compassion, equality, patience, altruism, and other noble qualities. If we constantly remember, contemplate deeply, and act according to these qualities, our life will also become peaceful, joyful, and liberated. This means that we know how to return and take refuge in our own Dharma-nature. In verse 298, the Buddha reminds us to constantly remember the Saṅgha. Saṅgha means a harmonious community, a community of practitioners living and training together in mutual respect, affection, and harmony, practicing in the spirit of the six principles of concord. This means that we must truly live with understanding and love in the spirit of spiritual kinship. That is the outward and practical meaning. As for the inner principle, each of us already possesses a pure and harmonious nature, which is our original teacher. If we know how to return, recognize it, and live in harmony with this pure quality, then we are truly taking refuge in the Saṅgha within ourselves. In summary, the three verses 296, 297, and 298 are reminders from the Buddha that Buddhists should recollect and deeply trust the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. Buddhists must live in harmony with both the outer form and the inner principle of the Three Jewels. Only by living in this way are they worthy of being disciples of the Buddha, and only then can they truly live an uplifting life of peace and liberation. In verse 299, the Buddha teaches us to “constantly recollect the body.” By this teaching, the Buddha reminds us to frequently contemplate the impurity and impermanent nature of the body. This is a contemplation meant to cut off craving and attachment toward one’s own body and the bodies of others. This contemplation has both shallow and deep levels, but in general it includes five modes of observation: contemplating the impurity of the seed or origin of the body, contemplating the impurity of the place in which the body dwells, contemplating the impurity of the body’s characteristics, contemplating the impurity of the body’s substance, and contemplating the impurity of its final end. By passing through these stages of contemplation, the practitioner becomes disenchanted with attachment to the body, and from that, all cravings related to the body, especially sensual craving, are greatly reduced. However, the Buddha teaches contemplation of impurity in order for us to recognize purity beyond attachment, not so that we become disgusted with life to the point of wishing to destroy ourselves. Such a thought is contrary to the meaning of the Buddha’s teaching. We should remember that the main purpose of this contemplation is to counteract excessive sensual desire. Through it, body and mind become lighter, and one can live a peaceful and happy life. In verse 300, the Buddha teaches Buddhists to “always rejoice in non-killing.” This teaching emphasizes moral discipline. Among the five precepts for lay Buddhists, the precept against killing comes first. Primarily, the Buddha forbids Buddhists from taking human life, and from there the practice extends gradually to other living beings, according to one’s capacity. Why does the Buddha say to rejoice constantly in non-killing? This is easy to understand. When we do not kill living beings, we avoid the karmic consequences of resentment, revenge, and repayment of harm in this life and future lives. In this present life, wherever we go, we need not fear that others are lying in wait to harm us. In this way, we truly enjoy freedom and ease. Moreover, our bodies are less afflicted by illness and we may live long; this too is a great joy brought about by carefully preserving the precept of non-killing. In verse 301, the Buddha teaches Buddhists to “always delight in practicing meditative contemplation.” Meditation and contemplation are extremely important for those who follow the Buddhist path. This matter has been discussed many times in earlier verses, so here it need only be summarized briefly. Meditation and contemplation may be called the doorway into the house of awakening and liberation. A practitioner without meditation and contemplation is like a cook without salt. For this reason, Buddhism places great importance on meditative contemplation. Whatever method a practitioner follows, meditation is necessary. Without meditation, how can wisdom arise? Meditation and wisdom are inseparable. Through meditation, the mind becomes clear, calm, and pure. In this way, Buddhists will gain peace and be freed from suffering in the present and in the future. The story above gives us a memorable lesson about the habit of reciting the Buddha’s name. The non-Buddhist boy, while playing ball, felt hurt because he kept losing. He thought he lost because the Buddhist boy often recited the Buddha’s name and therefore received the Buddha’s support. Thinking this, he imitated the practice. Because of that habit, even in sleep he uttered the Buddha’s name aloud. Thanks to this, he escaped the danger of being eaten by an evil spirit. This shows that one who forms the habit of recollecting the Buddha will naturally avoid many dangers. Not only that, such recollection also brings many practical benefits in daily life.